A National Survey of Day Care Centers Hosting People With Dementia in Italy

Objectives: A national survey was conducted in the Italian Day Care Centers hosting people with dementia (DCCs). This national survey aimed to describe the characteristics, the organizational structure and the opening period during the COVID-19 pandemic of the DCCs. Methods: A list of all national DCCs was provided by representatives from each Italian region. The online questionnaire consisted of two main parts: a profile section (location, access) and a data collection form (organization, services, treatments, activities, and any discontinuation of the services due to the COVID-19 outbreak). Results: A total of 1084 DCCs were included in the study after verifying their actual capacity to accommodate persons with dementia. Overall, 443 facilities (41%) completed the profile section and 300 (27,7%) also completed the data collection form. Most of the DCCs participating in the survey were privately owned facilities affiliated with the Regional Health Service (88.5% vs. 11.5% of public facilities). The imbalance in favor of private facilities was present in all three Italian macro-areas, particularly in the North, where almost all facilities were private (private vs. public, North 97.1% vs. 2.9%, Center 65.5% vs. 34.5%; Southern and Islands 75.5% vs. 24.5%). Only one-fifth of the facilities exclusively admitted people with dementia. As regards the pandemic period, only 6% of facilities remained always open in 2020, in 2021 the percentage increased, with 48% of the facilities reported as open. Conclusions: This paper presents an overview of the current situation of DCCs in Italy, showing still considerable heterogeneity based on geographic location. The survey finally highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic emergency has impacted the activities of these types of facilities.